1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to digital broadcast reception apparatuses and methods of switching content output and particularly to digital broadcast reception apparatuses with an improved function to switch content output and methods of switching content output.
2. Description of the Background Art
Digital broadcast signal reception apparatuses incorporating a hard disk recording and reproduction device have conventionally been provided. For such apparatuses when a user desires to output content, whether to obtain the content by reproducing it from a hard disk or receiving a digital broadcast signal must selectively be designated. A method therefore is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-290887. More specifically, a list of broadcast programs having been reserved and recorded to a hard disk is displayed. From the list a user selects a desired, recorded program and presses an Enter key of a remote controller. In response, a monitor displays a guide of programs scheduled to be broadcast. The user refers to the guide to designate a desired program. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-8807 discloses providing enhanced operability to select a channel by displaying a channel list including channel numbers, channel names and the like to help a user to perform an operation to select a channel.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-262225 discloses that in response to a request by a user, stored contents are displayed in a list together with their dates and times, channels and the like. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-257449 discloses displaying guide information for all programs stored in a storage device.
Thus conventionally when a user desires to view stored content the user needs to additionally press a specific key invoking “displaying a list of titles of programs to be reproduced” and then perform an operation to select desired content from the list. This results in a remote controller having a group of keys used for example to display a menu and designate a title of a program to be displayed. Such keys are unfamiliar to users and thus force the user to perform a cumbersome operation, resulting in poor operability.